Business
The market for apps in Democratic Republic of Congo can only get bigger
Internet surge
Mobile telephony and internet provision certainly have much scope for growth in DRC. Around 35% of people have mobile telephones while only 2.3% of the population have access to the internet, according to a 2013 report by internet research firm BuddeComm.
Internet access is also likely to surge in 2014, as the DRC completed connection to the WACS undersea fibreoptic cable in 2013. This will help the rollout of cheaper and faster download services. Meanwhile, Lekea is already looking to his next project: “We Congolese, we love to talk, so anything in chat or social media is going to have appeal. And as smartphone penetration grows, this market can only get bigger. The trick is to conceive an app that taps into this but in an original Congolese way. I have plenty of ideas for this. Watch this space.”
Copyright The Africa Report 2014
